What can we do to mark our original big day if our wedding has been postponed?

The corona virus crisis has been a very difficult time for everyone and I really feel for you if you've had to (or will have to) postpone your big day. It's a difficult decision to make (or have imposed on you) and finding a new date can be stressful and time consuming. But one thing I will say is that once it's done, you'll feel a whole lot better! You can then re-set the wedding countdown and start looking forward to it all over again. And don't forget that every cloud has a silver lining - it'll give you more time to arrange or save up for a few little extras!

But what about your original wedding date - should you mark or celebrate that in some way? Definitely, in my opinion! And here are a few ideas to get you going:

• Crack open the bubbly!

Personally, I never need an excuse to open a bottle of bubbly, but if there was ever an occasion when it's an absolute must, this is it! You could even conduct a Prosecco/champagne tasting if you can't quite decide  which one to have on your big day... Enjoy - hic! 😵

Do you have any advice about the exchange of rings?

(photo by William McLaughlin)

Most couples choose to exchange rings on their wedding day and there are a few things to bear in mind for this important element of the ceremony:

• The first thing is to remember to bring the rings on the day! I've never had this happen yet, though it was a close call once when the Best Man 'temporarily mislaid' them. We were fortunate that the couple were getting married at the family home and he could dash inside to get them! The look on his face when he realised that he didn't have them was priceless!
• If you have a particularly nervous Best Man, advise him not to handle the rings in case he drops them! If they're in a box, he can simply open the box and present it to the Celebrant to take the rings out.
• If your hands are hot, the ring can be a tight fit and you might experience some difficulty in getting it onto your partners finger. The first thing is not to worry about this - it happens to a lot of people and can actually be a sweet, funny and memorable part of the ceremony! Just take your time and it'll go on eventually! In this lovely wedding at The Roman Camp Hotel, John decided to put his own ring on after Jan had been struggling with it for some time!

(picture by the excellent Trevor Wilson at Silverphotography)

We like the idea of using a quaich in our ceremony - how can we do this?

The quaich is a traditional Scottish two handled drinking cup. The word quaich comes from the Gaelic word 'cuach' or cup. They can be made of wood, pottery, silver or pewter and come in a range of sizes.

The quaich is often referred to as 'the loving cup' or cup of welcome or friendship and its two handles make it ideal for sharing.


It is unique to Scotland and part of the tradition of Celtic hospitality was that of welcoming guests with a drink from a quaich. Sharing a cup was also seen as a sign of trust between the people drinking from it - because it is offered and taken with both hands, the drinker could not hold a weapon at the same time and the sharing of the drink was also a guarantee that it hadn't been poisoned!

King James VI of Scotland presented a quaich to Anne of Denmark on the occasion of their marriage in 1589 and since then quaichs have often been used in wedding ceremonies. Drinking from the same cup is a lovely symbol of the love and trust between the couple. Because it is traditionally 'the cup of welcome', drinking from it can also be seen as a way of welcoming the bride and groom into each others' family too.

There are lots of ideas for incorporating a quaich into your ceremony: